Stretching the legs

Sophie, Dakota and Elvis, 2-9-13

The guys got a chance to stretch their legs this afternoon and a reminder of what it is to hunt – just so they don’t forget during the off-season. They also had an awful lot of energy to burn so off we went.

Sophie, Dakota and Elvis on the run, 2-9-13.

I was a little concerned about the roads after yesterday’s snow, however they were in good shape. I met a road grader plowing roads as I was going in, so I knew it would be good. We spent about an hour hiking through snow and sagebrush and saw absolutely nothing of interest; I thought about going up onto the lava flows but decided it was too dangerous. Oftentimes snow will freeze over the top of fissures and holes, and it’s easy to break through and fall into one. I’m told there’s one area littered with the bones of animals that have fallen in and died.

Elettra and Mia want to hunt, not waste time with pictures, 2-9-13.

After bringing Elvis and the Labs back home, I headed out again with Mia and Elettra. This time I went south to the Sterling Wildlife Management Area, and what a difference 30 miles makes. At Sterling there was almost no snow where there was about 10-12 inches out on the desert. And where the desert had been calm, there was a good 20-mph wind blowing at Sterling. My Levi jacket kept me nice and warm, but I was really glad to be wearing my hoodie (Green Bay Championship hoodie, that is). We hiked the area for a little over an hour but as with Elvis and the Labs, nothing.

Mia and Elettra hunt into the wind, 2-9-13.

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Tags: chocolate labs, dog exercise, keeping dog in shape, spinone, training off season